Adjustable sunshade that attaches and separates easily from a hat or safety helmet

ABSTRACT

A sunshade that attaches and separates easily from a safety helmet or hat is disclosed. The shading shield is very close to the face, almost touching it. Its position is fully adjustable. There is therefore less sun exposure while riding a ski lift chair or waiting in the direct rays of the sun while waiting to perform a sport. The invention is worn while waiting in the sun to perform a sport like snow-skiing, snowboarding, motorcycle riding, etc. It is not meant to be worn on the helmet or hat while actually performing the sport.

PRIORITY

Applicant claims priority from the provisional patent application No. 61/649,673 filed by applicant on May 21, 2012.

FEDERAL GRANTS

There were no federal funds used in the development of this invention.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Sun exposure to the face, while riding on a ski lift or waiting to engage in an outside sport requiring a helmet or hat, eventually leads to severe skin damage and often cancer. Typical helmets and hats cannot be easily adjusted to provide full protection from the sun when the orientation of the wearer is changed.

The fixed bills of currently existing hats and helmets are generally far from the tips, cheeks, and lips and cannot effectively be adjusted for all sunlight situations. They are perpendicular to the long axis of the face, and large amounts of sunlight still bathe the skin. The bills of current hats and helmets are not completely adjustable and cannot provide full protection for any and all orientations of the wearer to the sun.

The shading shield of the present invention can be set very close to the face, almost touching it, because it's position is fully adjustable. There is therefore less sun exposure while riding a ski lift chair or waiting in the direct rays of the sun while waiting to perform a sport. The invention is designed to be generally worn while waiting in the sun to perform a sport like snow-skiing, snowboarding, motorcycle riding, etc. It is not generally designed to be worn on the helmet while actually performing the sport. However with sufficiently strong hook and loop attachments and a sufficiently sticky shield, the helmet or hat could conceivably be worn while actually performing the sport.

SUMMARY

As stated above, sun exposure to the face, while riding on a ski lift or waiting to engage in an outside sport requiring a helmet or hat, eventually leads to severe skin damage and often cancer. Typical helmets and hats cannot be easily adjusted to provide full protection to the wearer's face from the sun's rays when the orientation of the wearer is changed. The invention claimed here solves this problem by using an easily adjustable shield attached to the wearer's helmet which shades the face from the sun while waiting to perform a sport, riding a chair lift or otherwise being out in the sun. However whenever desired, the sunshield detaches from the helmet or hat to allow the wearer to engage in a strenuous activity which otherwise might be impeded by the sunshield being on the helmet or hat at the time.

This claimed invention differs from what currently exists because the pattern of shade coverage is adjustable. The protection coverage is also generally closer to the skin, thereby allowing better protection than a typical visor on a hat or helmet. Even though hats are worn regularly, Skin cancers still form at an alarming rate in the general population due to poor protection from the sun available from currently existing technology.

Because the shading shield is very close to the face, almost touching it, and because the shading shield's position is fully adjustable, there is therefore less sun exposure while riding a ski lift chair or waiting in the direct rays of the sun while waiting to perform a sport. The invention is designed to be worn while waiting in the sun to perform a strenuous physical activity sport like snow-skiing, snowboarding, motorcycle riding, etc.

It is not generally designed to be worn on the helmet or hat while actually performing the sport. (But it could be if designed strongly enough)

The Version of The Invention Discussed Here Includes:

1. A helmet or hat.

2. Strips of hook and loop fasteners that are placed on and adhere to a plurality of points on the helmet or hat.

3. A shield comprised of felt or a similar substance which will adhere on contact to the hook and loop fasteners

4. A lariat for tethering the shield to the helmet.

5. An attachment means such as a metal ring to connect the lariat to the shield.

Relationship Between The Components:

The hook and loop adhesive strips adhere to the helmet, The shield then sticks to the hook and loop adhesive strips on the outer surface of the helmet. The lariat attachment means such as a metal loop attaches the shield to the helmet. The lariat keeps the shield from being blown off and lost in the wind.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings constitute a part of the specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention, which may be expressed in various forms.

FIG. 1 is an isometric view looking down from the front at a wearer of the invention showing the upper front of the helmet and the shield attached to the lariat.

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the invention looking straight at the front of a wearer of the invention when the shield has been removed from the helmet, but the shield is still attached by the lariat.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the invention looking at the front of a wearer of the invention when the shield has been affixed to the helmet.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The shield is easily affixed in the desired position on the hat or helmet to provide maximum protection from the sun when anchored to the helmet while riding a ski lift or waiting in the sun to perform a sport. The shield is then easily pulled off of the hat or helmet and then rolled up and stored when exiting the ski lift or otherwise preparing to engage in the sport. Removal is not necessary if the lariat is used as the shield can just be hung on the lariat when not attached to the helmet or hat. The shield can be almost any shape whether polygonal or non-polygonal, round, rectangular so long as it is large enough to effectively block the sun striking the wearer's face.

The hook and loop attachment strips (2) are anchored to the helmet (1). A shield (3) is then attached to the hook and loop attachments to hold it in the desired position to protect the user from the sun. A lariat (4) is attached at one end to the shield (3) by an attachment means (5). The other end of the lariat can be attached to the helmet (1) or the wearer by any appropriate attachment means such as a hook, clip, or ring.

The helmet (1), the hook and loop attachment strips (2), the shield (3), the lariat (4) and the shield to lariat attachment means (5) are all necessary to keep the shield from blowing off in an inappropriate or inconvenient manner. The lariat (4) could directly attach to the shield (3) without using a metal ring or separate attachment means by being an integral part of it. The opposite end of the lariat not attached to the shield could be attached to any convenient part of the wearer, including he helmet or hat itself.

How To Use The Invention:

To protect the face from excessive sun exposure, a person wearing a helmet or hat would put on the helmet (1) or hat, adjust the shield (3) so that it effectively blocks the sun's rays from reaching the wearer's face or neck. The wearer can adjust the shield as necessary as the sun changes position, whether from the earth's rotation, or the rotation of the wearer while riding a ski lift etc. When the wearer is ready to ski or otherwise engage in the desired sport, the wearer can then remove the shield, and roll it up, and put it in the wearer's pocket.

Alternatively, the lariat may or may not be unclipped from the shield and/or the wearer's helmet, clothing, etc.

Additionally: While sitting on a beach, or other area where a safety helmet was not required, the shield could be attached to a hat instead of a helmet.

When being outside any place an ordinary hat or visor is not sufficient to block the sun, the invention could be employed for sun protection. 

I claim:
 1. A sunshade that attaches and separates easily from a helmet comprised of: a helmet; strips of hook and loop fasteners that are placed on and adhere to a plurality of points on the helmet; a shield comprised of felt which will adhere on contact to the hook and loop fasteners; a lariat for tethering the shield to the helmet; and an attachment means to connect the lariat to the shield.
 2. The sunshade in claim 1 wherein the shield has hook and loop fasteners on it to engage the hook and loop fasteners on the helmet.
 3. The sunshade in claim 1 wherein the shield is comprised of a felt like substance which will adhere to the hook and loop fasteners on the helmet.
 4. The sunshade in claim 1 wherein the shield is rectangular in shape.
 5. The sunshade in claim 1 wherein the shield is round in shape.
 6. The sunshade in claim 1 wherein the shield is non-polygonal in shape.
 7. The sunshade in claim 1 wherein the shield is polygonal in shape.
 8. The sunshade in claim 1 wherein the helmet is a safety helmet.
 9. The sunshade in claim 1 wherein the shield can be rolled up after removal from the helmet.
 10. The sunshade in claim 1 wherein the attachment means to connect the lariat to the shield is comprised of a metal ring.
 11. The sunshade in claim 1 wherein the lariat directly attaches to the shield without using a metal ring or separate attachment means by being an integral part of the shield.
 12. The sunshade in claim 1 wherein a hat is used instead of a helmet.
 13. The sunshade in claim 1 wherein the lariat directly attaches to the shield without using a metal ring or separate attachment means by being an integral part of the shield.
 14. A method for avoiding the sun comprised of: A person putting on a helmet; placing strips of hook and loop fasteners onto to a plurality of points on the helmet; attaching a shield comprised of felt or a similar substance which will adhere on contact to the hook and loop fasteners to a lariat; attaching an attachment such as a metal ring to connect the lariat to the shield; while waiting in the sun, placing the shield onto the strips of hook and loop fasteners so that the shield blocks the sun's rays from contacting the wearer's face; and prior to engaging in strenuous physical activity, removing the shield and allowing it to remain attached to the helmet by the lariat.
 15. The method for avoiding the sun of claim 14 wherein the wearer adjusts the position of the shield as necessary to keep the sun's rays off of the wearer's face.
 16. The method for avoiding the sun of claim 14 wherein prior to engaging in strenuous physical activity, the wearer removes the shield and detaches it from the helmet. 